Fanboys

 "What's your game plan?"
"We storm the ranch or we die trying."

"Yeah."

Linus (Marquette), Hutch (Fogler), Windows (Baruchel), and Eric (Huntington) have been best friends since childhood.  They are also major Star Wars fans.  Hutch and Windows work in a comicbook store, and they and Linus spend all their time playing video games and living the fanboy life: spending their free time discussing and arguing over ever detail of the series.  Eric has a real job, working in his father's car dealership.  When they learn that Linus only has a few months left to live, they decide to fulfill a childhood dream and steal the soon to be released Star Wars Episode I.

They load up Hutch's Star Wars inspired van and begin their roadtrip to George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch.  Soon they are joined by their friend and fangirl Zoe (Bell).  With some angry Star Trek fans on their heels, can their plan succeed?

The film is basically a love letter to diehard Star Wars fans.  Director Kyle Newman is a self-proclaimed fanboy, and used his knowledge to imbue the story with a authenticity.  Some diehard fans may find the film insulting... and it is a little stereotypical.  However, the film is fun and entertaining.

The film features an impressive array for cameos, some related to Star Wars (Carrie Fisher and Ray Park), and other science fiction legends.  Also, several big name comedians have minor roles (Seth Rogen).  The main reason I found the film was Kristen Bell (love her), but the more I read about it, the more I wanted to see it.  Bell stands her ground alongside her male costars, and gets some great laughs.  Sam Huntington (now on SyFy's "Being Human") takes the lead, as the level-headed character.  Dan Fogler is off the wall, as usual.  Jay Baruchel is the nerdiest of them all, as usual.  I am not familiar with Chris Marquette's body of work, but his character fades into the background a bit... yes, he is the impetus behind the road trip, but he doesn't stand out from the crowd.

This isn't the film for everyone, and the script isn't great... but it is enjoyable ride!  Worth checking out!

Fanboys (2009) 90 minutes
Rated: PG-13 for pervasive crude and sexual material, language and drug content
Director: Kyle Newman
Starring: Sam Huntington as Eric
Chris Marquette as Linus
Dan Fogler as Hutch
Jay Baruchel as Windows
Kristen Bell as Zoe